Historic tournament journey ends, but Waverly softball takes another step forward
MASON — When John Herrera took over the Waverly softball program prior to the 2019 season he had big goals.
He wanted Waverly to be in the mix for league titles and among the teams selected to compete in the Greater Lansing Hall of Fame Softball Classic. And he wanted the Warriors to get a taste of postseason success.
That all has happened just as Herrera had hoped.
Waverly has competed in the Softball Classic the past two seasons and was in the mix for a CAAC Blue title this spring. And it took a big step forward last week, claiming the first district championship in program history.
Waverly came close to building on that success Saturday before having its season end with a 4-2 loss to Parma Western in a Division 2 regional semifinal at Mason High School.
Even with the tough ending, Herrera is excited about the history made this spring and the program's potential to continue to make noise.
"We made it to where we've never been," Herrera said. "It's all new territory for us. It's an awesome experience for us. I don't think they realize what they've done. That's the thing I told them earlier. We've never had this done in Waverly history so it's something new to us and we've got everybody coming back next year so that's a good thing."
More: Lakewood softball edged by Three Rivers in regional semifinal
Waverly (21-16) battled after falling behind 4-0 to give itself a chance during its first regional appearance. After being held to just one hit through 5 2/3 innings, the Warriors strung three straight together in the sixth.
Lettie Sutton delivered the last of those hits — a two-run double to left field that tightened the contest in the sixth and got the tying run to the plate for Waverly. That ended up being the last of the hits for the Warriors.
After Parma Western got out of the sixth inning, it retired the bottom half of the Waverly lineup in order to earn its spot in the regional final against Three Rivers.
Herrera said experiencing a new stage marked another valuable step for the Warriors, especially with all their starters returning.
"It's an awesome experience for everybody here," Herrera said. "I'm happy with how we played this year. We fell a little short. I think anybody could have won this region and would have been right in the thick of things come the quarterfinals next week. You never know. It just takes one or two plays."
More: These are the MHSAA regional results for Greater Lansing softball teams
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Waverly softball falls short in quest to build off history
